Citrix sees virtualisation as the mainstream

Stephen Withers
Friday, 22 October 2010 15:10

Business IT - Technology

Citrix envisages a future when IT will be highly virtualised and accessed from three broad classes of devices.

Citrix is punting on an IT model based on 'three screens and a cloud.'

"It's about how work is being reinvented... work is going virtual," company president and CEO Mark Templeton told attendees at the company's Synergy conference in Berlin, with people increasingly expecting to "do whatever, whenever, where ever." Ubiquitous Internet connectivity, modern data centres, cloud computing, and the consumerisation of IT have lined up to support that new way of working.

So what are those 'three screens'?

The big screen (typically a desktop or full-function notebook computer) is used for creating content, or 'cooking'.

The small screen (most likely a mobile phone, but possibly a device such as an iPod touch) is used for 'snacking' such as reading an email.

The in-between device - exemplified by the iPad - is for 'dining' or consuming larger amounts of information.

In Citrix's view, organisations need not - and should not - pick specific devices within these categories. Find out why on page 2.